


Light Source

by mistermoonshine



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre android revolution, Thunderstorms, heartwarming stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 09:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15628011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistermoonshine/pseuds/mistermoonshine
Summary: After witnessing an android shoot himself on the roof of the Stratford Tower, Connor begins to admit he is becoming deviant. Hank realizes how terrifying that is. The two head to Hank’s house to discuss the case, but get caught up by the weather and decide to talk feelings instead.





	Light Source

**Author's Note:**

> I started this when a blackout stopped me from reading fan fiction. I decided to write my own but it turned out less than savoury without proper characterization. So, I managed to finish it after two weeks of editing and coincidentally the power went out again this morning when I finished it. But it came back! So here is my contribution to the fandom. Enjoy.

The sky was beginning to darken as the car pulled into Anderson’s driveway. The man in question rested his head against the wheel, groaning when a headache began to form as a result of overthinking.

Stress from the investigation was finally taking a toll on his body, and his current lifestyle was not helping. Hank pushed himself up in his seat to shut off the car. He briefly looked out the window at the approaching cloud cover, before turning to his android. 

Connor sat in the passenger seat, body completely still and eyes closed as he made a report to CyberLife on today’s progress. The cool tones of evening against his stillness was film worthy. Seeing him so calm, with his LED spinning blue and lighting up the side of his face, Hank felt relief. The deviant case had caught the attention of the entire country after Markus’ speech, which both terrified and intrigued the lieutenant. But humans weren’t the only one’s affected, it seemed. 

The image of Connor’s wide eyes was permanently severed in the man’s memory, the genuine fear in them, his trembling hands, and broken voice, ‘I felt it die’. Those words terrified Hank more than any looming war could, and that fact was far too complicated to consider whilst sober. 

Here, next to him, the android was a machine completing tasks and following orders, but on the roof of the broadcasting room he had appeared more human than most. Genuine concern displayed in his expressions which no computer could simply imitate. It was surreal, and it only further proved the idea Hank had since that night in the Eden Club. That his partner was in fact becoming deviant. This also scared the detective. If he were deviant, he would simply be disposed of and replaced wouldn’t he? 

With a horrible sickness in his gut, Hank shook the other’s shoulder. 

“Connor, lets go,” he ordered, as the android’s LED blinked yellow for a moment before returning to normal. Connor opened his eyes, analyzing Hank’s face for signs of distress, before realizing he wanted him to leave the car.

“Sorry lieutenant, I was running a self diagnostic,” he stated, matter-of-factly before unbuckling his seat belt. Anderson did the same and stepped out of the car after him.

“Well it’s creepy,” he replied before slamming the door. He was beginning to regret agreeing on bringing the android into his house. 

Connor wasted no time following him as Hank unlocked the front door and entered the house. Low barking filled Hank’s ears as Sumo greeted them, tail wagging excitedly about as he welcomed the attention.

“Hey Sumo, did ya take care of the house?” He scratched behind the dogs ears before taking off his shoes. Connor crouched down at the entrance and outstretched a hand to the dog, who quickly forgot about Hank and attacked Connor with kisses instead.

“Careful, Sumo,” the android politely asked the dog to back off, before getting tackled by the large paws, sounds of what could only be described as laughter leaving him as the dog covered his CyberLife suit in hairs. Connor was caught off guard by Sumo’s strength and was too afraid to push the dog and somehow hurt him, so he continued to pet him. 

“Traitor,” the lieutenant snuffed, but couldn’t help but smile at the endearing sight before him. Something about the sight of a quick witted killing machine being subdued by a Saint Bernard. His headache quickly reminded Hank that now was not the time, as he turned on the living room and kitchen lights, blinking at the brightness.

“I’m going to shower-“ Hank announced, taking one last glance at the entry way to see a hand shoot up, followed by a plea, “lieutenant, help!” He chuckled.

“Sumo, treats!” The man called, catching the dog’s attention. Connor pushed himself off the floor, closing the front door at last and dusting himself off, his chocolate hairs standing in all different directions from being licked. Anderson turned his gaze from the android to the kitchen, giving Sumo his promised treats, which the dog gladly consumed. Connor followed the pair into the kitchen, waiting on instructions from the lieutenant by standing behind him. Hank turned from his dog to come face to face with Connor. He did not hear his footsteps and jumped, almost falling backwards into the table situated at the centre of the room. 

“Jesus Connor, how many times have I told you to stop doing that?” The man gripped his chest to make sure his heart hadn’t stopped but luckily enough it was still racing, something the android would cause his heart to do quite often those days. 

“If by ‘that’ you mean following you lieutenant, you have asked me 47 times,” Connor spoke, quite confident about the number. Though unintentional, giving the detective a scare brought a smirk to his face. 

“Jeez, you really don’t listen to anything I say do you,” Anderson sighed, shaking his head and moving out from his stance between Connor and the table. He mumbled something about being too old under his breath.

“I do lieutenant, when it pertains to accomplishing the mission.” Connor’s serious behaviour hardly matched his sarcastic comments and unruly appearance, which finally caused Hank to chuckle. The messiness looked cute on him, the android almost appeared more human. 

“Of course you do, mission first right?” The man was teasing, but the android took it quite literally.

“Correct, lieutenant. I was going to ask if you’d like me to make you dinner, since you haven’t eaten in 6 hours,” he added. This only made Anderson laugh more, the irony being too much to handle. 

“You know what Con? Knock yourself out, just don’t burn down my kitchen,” he smiled at the other, who reciprocated it, before finally heading to the bathroom to peel off his uncomfortable clothes. 

The warmth of the shower felt heavenly on Hank’s tired bones, and the image of Connor’s smile burned in the back of his mind allowed him to relax into that feeling. He was safe now. 

Hank had been well aware of himself for a while now, but he continued to ignore his feelings. After being alone for so long, Hank figured he was simply clinging onto the first person to show him something real. Of course Connor only saw him as a partner, a friend if his actions meant anything. And for the most part, Hank was okay with friendship. Or at least he seemed to convince himself he was. The scene on the rooftop challenged that, and suddenly the thought of Connor dying and coming back the next day made him sick. He couldn’t bare the thought of being without him. Anderson knew CyberLife would scrap Connor from the beginning, but it felt so wrong to him now, heartbreaking even. 

He shut his eyes and let the comforting spray warm his face, convincing himself that things were okay now. Connor was only becoming more and more deviant as time passed, so it would only be a matter of time before he would be destroyed. If Hank could keep Connor alive for as long as possible, he would be doing the most for him with or without feelings. For the both of them. 

Connor wasted no time in scoping out Hank’s fridge and downloading a recipe that would benefit his health. He was by no capacity a maid android, but the need to care for his partner was not completely out of his programming. It was natural for an android to care for its human companions after all, the same way humans cared for animals. 

Connor glanced at Sumo, who was laying underneath the table now, having had enough excitement for one day. 

Humans had no real reason to care for animals did they? They treated animals the same as their own children, which could make sense regarding Hank’s loss. But the lieutenant’s feeling for his dog did not match what could be felt between two humans. Simple health concerns and companionship weren’t really the same thing as human love. Connor couldn’t feel love after all, it was not part of his programming. But he was not doing anything outside of his programming if he cared for Hank like a pet, because he could still complete the mission while caring for him.

Connor ignored the notification of software instability as he began to cut carrots. 

Hank shut off the shower, forcing himself back into the real world outside of the safety of his bathroom. His headache reduced a little from the relaxation, but Hank had a good feeling it might return if Connor decided to bring up case. Which was one of the main reasons he wanted to come home with Hank in the first place. 

Today hadn’t seemed like the best day for Anderson, and he really was not in the mood to deal with anything else regarding androids, but he had a hard time saying no to Connor after seeing him so afraid. Now, with the memory cleared from his mind and his body asking for sleep, Hank decided asking the android to leave would be ideal for saving both of them time and painful conversations.

The lights in the bathroom flickered as he got dressed in sweats and a plain shirt. He blamed it on the only lightbulbs that hadn’t been replaced since he bought the house. Quickly towel drying his hair, Hank left the bathroom to be greeted by the sweet smell of home cooked stew. It had been a long time since he’d cooked for himself, and even longer since he had made anything that smelt so delicious. It left a coziness in his chest, a reminder of family.

“Damn Connor, I didn’t know you were a chief!” The android turned in surprise, having not noticed the sound of the shower water turn off because of the rain outside. 

“Oh, I assure you I am not lieutenant! I simply followed a recipe online. Hopefully it is to your liking. This stew contains the recommended amount of vegetables and is very low sodium, so it should not affect your cholesterol levels,” he rambled on, dipping his fingers into the stew and bringing them to his mouth to test the temperature.

“So the real reason you came over was to bully me into eating right, is that it?” Hank joked, taking a seat where a bowl and glass of water were already awaiting him. Connor continued stirring the stew with the stove off, watching the vegetables swirl with his back turned to Hank. 

“Not at all lieutenant, I am encouraging positive behaviours, not bullying. Besides, we have many important topics to discuss.” Connor finally brought the pot to the table, using a ladle to serve Hank, before setting the rest in the fridge as leftovers. Steam rose in front of Anderson’s face as the liquid cooled down a little. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m prepared to discuss anything else tonight. Maybe you should just take a cab back to your station at CyberLife,” Hank suggested, just wanting to be done with work for the day, sticking to his plan. Although, the thought of being alone again was a bit too melancholic for his tastes. 

“I’m sorry lieutenant but I won’t be leaving until you’ve finished your meal.” Anderson rolled his eyes, pulling out the chair closest to him and beckoning for Connor to sit. He should have known Connor would be insistent about food, but keeping him a little longer wouldn’t hurt. The android watched him carefully from his chair as he blew on a spoonful of dinner, mouth making a little O as he pushed the steam away.

“This better taste as good as it smells, otherwise I’ll just have to drive out to Chicken Feed,” Hank continued to tease, trying to get a reaction out of his partner as payback for the comments on his health. He put the spoon in his mouth and decided it wasn’t that bad, although the liquid wasn’t very strong in flavour.

“I would not recommend it, for various reasons, but mainly because they have already closed due to upcoming thunderstorms,” Connor smirked, as the lieutenant tasted his dinner. 

“Wait, thunderstorms?” He dropped the spoon back into the stew with a miniature splash. The bathroom lights flickering made more sense to Hank, and the sound of the rain outside suddenly became threatening, pelting against his window with great force. Hank sucked in a breath as his mind went into panic, unprepared to deal with the flood of emotions brought on by the shift in weather. 

“Yes, the forecast calls for thunderstorms and strong winds, possible lightning as well. Would you mind if I stay here overnight lieutenant? These conditions are quite inconvenient for travel-“ 

“Like hell are they inconvenient, Jesus fucking Christ, why tonight,” Hank buried his head in his hands, forgetting the stew for a moment to deal with his returned headache, water droplets falling from his hair onto the table. Connor frowned at him, confused by his sudden outburst, then realized it was probably his fault since he usually caused Hank discomfort for reasons unknown. 

“If my presence bothers you that much I could go back to the station since it is closer, but I would need to borrow your key, lieutenant,” Connor continued, outstretching his hand in hopes Anderson would offer him his key card so he could leave. He knew he needed to go over the investigation, but if he displeased Hank that much then postponing it until the morning wasn’t that much of a problem. 

“What are you talking about? Stay then, see if I care,” Hank groaned, pushing the stew aside and ran his hands through his hair once more as the headache rendered him useless. Anderson didn’t know what Connor was going on about when his irrational hatred of storms was distracting him. A boom of thunder roared in the distance and Sumo lifted his head up at the sound

Connor’s brows furrowed as he stared at the lieutenant, LED spinning yellow as he attempted to piece together what was wrong if not his presence, “was the stew not to your liking? I could still add salt if it’s not-.”

“It’s fine Connor, could you shut up for once?!” Anderson snapped at his partner, the lather promptly shut his mouth, spite clear on his features. Hank took a deep breath and looked up at Connor, studying him before lifting himself from the table, “I need a beer.” Guilt caught up to him as he realized Connor wasn’t to blame for any of this, simply in the wrong pace at the wrong time. 

He opened the fridge and took two beers, opening one and taking a sip, then bringing them both to the table. Connor simply watched it.

“Ugh. Look, you didn’t do anything, it’s my fault for being such a mess alright? You always think it’s your fault somehow, and it’s annoying,” Hank sighed and took another sip of his beer, then pulled the bowl closer once more. He stirred the liquid with the spoon, trying not to think about anything too hard. The android softened at his tired tone, knowing Hank wasn’t mad at him The slow sound of the spoon hitting the bowl distracted him from the noises of outside.

“Just- um... okay. Tell me- tell me why you wanted to come here anyway,” the older man glanced expectantly at the other, almost sadly. Connor straightens himself in his seat, leaning forward just a tad.

“I wanted to discuss my thoughts on today’s investigation at the Stratford Tower. With further analysis on the footage I received for the dead android, I can confirm that ‘Jericho’ does not match anything found at previous deviant crime scenes. However I still have reason to believe that it is important to deviants considering it was the last thing the android thought about before it died. I also deducted that Jericho is not a person, but in fact a place. And finding it would be the next step in solving the case.” Connor states his theory with a determined stare, leaving Hank to only nod in surprise as he slurps down his food, doing his best to ignore his discomfort. 

“That’s great Con, you’ve got a better handle in all of this than anyone. But I wanna ask you a personal question this time,” Hank goes for the bottle again, taking a long sip before continuing, “how do you feel about all this? What do you think about deviants?”

The kitchen lights flickered as Hank eyed him attentively, watching and waiting for any sign of change. Anything that would tell him what Connor himself wouldn’t. A sign to confirm his fears.

“I told you lieutenant, I don’t feel anything. Deviants are simply defective androids, there is nothing more to them,” Connor huffed, voice wavered at ‘them’, eye contact never breaking. Hank glared at the other, infuriated by the response, by his headache, by the rain, and by himself. 

“That’s what you’re programmed to say! It’s bullshit and you know it! You said yourself you felt fear when he shot himself! That’s a human emotion Connor,” Hank stood up, gripping the side of the table as he screamed, thoughts scrambled in a fury of anger.

“But I’m not human! Androids aren’t human, they can’t feel anything! Deviant or otherwise,” Connor stood as well, pushing his chair aside and glaring back at Hank, LED spinning yellow at a mile per minute. Hank’s repeated rash behaviour was getting on Connor’s nerves. The fact that the detective wasn’t telling him what was pissing him off further frustrated the android. 

“Fuck Connor! Just because it’s not in you’re damn program doesn’t mean you can’t! You’re more human than those assholes in the FBI treating protest like a hate crime! You hauled my sorry ass and saved those girls at the Eden club remember? You’re incredibly smart and talented but you’re the most oblivious android I’ve ever met! You’re a snarky asshole when you wanna be but the best partner I could ask! Deviant or not you can feel!” Hank hissed at him, eyes welling up with tears from the stress seeping out of him all at once. Connor shuttered listening to Hank, he knew what he said was completely wrong but a software instability still rung up as he saw the man crying. 

“I’m a machine and nothing more! I’m supposed to imitate humans, it’s what I was built for! I don’t want to feel, I can’t handle it okay?!” Watching Hank break down caused the android distress, which quickly turned into fear when his self diagnosing couldn’t tell him what was wrong. Fear felt awfully painful, and the repeated notification of software instability caused water to well in his eyes.

An alarmingly close clap of thunder shook the two out of their argument for a moment, raising Anderson’s heart rate impossibly quick. Following it, all lights in the house flickered and died.

“No,” Hank whined under his breath, clutching his chest and closing his eyes. Connor panicked, sensing signs of pain and only thinking of the worse.

“Hank-“ he moved for the man and grabbed his shoulders tightly, forcing Anderson to look at his android. The lieutenant gravitated towards him without thinking, gripping the CyberLife uniform desperately in need of comfort. His eyes filled with Connor’s face, dark eyes reflecting his and a pale face illuminated by the red LED. Wet streaks ran down his cheeks and his lips tightened into a pout as he registered the lieutenant’s behaviours, everything moving too fast for him to analyze.

Hank wiped away the artificial tears with his thumb, and carefully held the android’s head as he touched his lips to the synthetic ones. Connor’s hold on his shoulders loosened a bit in surprise, heat warnings filling his vision, followed by more software instabilities. Anderson was overwhelmed by his emotions, but he knew for fact he would regret not telling the android his feelings before Connor died. Hank’s other hand let go of Connor’s jacket and gripped his hip instead, the android opened his mouth and tilted his head. If he couldn’t tell him, showing him would be the next best thing. Hank put one foot between the android’s legs and forced him backwards against the table. Connor moved his hand to support himself, the other held Hank’s neck as he pushed his tongue into his mouth, analyzing everything but not quite registering it with the intense burn of heat in his chest. Connor reached for the other as Hank pulled him up.

Anderson broke away with heavy panting, holding onto Connor’s body for dear life. The android let out a soft noise as if to ask why they had stopped, only to register Anderson’s fatigue. Hank’s eyes trailed the glossy saliva on his lips, and the soft blue LED complimenting him as he opened his eyes. Connor’s thirium pump drummed at the sight of the lieutenant’s smile and kind eyes searching him. The software instabilities blinded him for a moment, and his processors lagged as his body tried but failed to cool down. He began to cry again as he realized Hank was right. He was becoming deviant.

Hank stepped back and let go of the android as if he had touched fire, eyes widening in shock, “Connor! Oh my God, I’m so fucking sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he cursed. The intense desperation turned into regret as he realized he had most likely destroyed their relationship, by not only yelling at Connor, but forcing himself onto the younger man. Hank was repulsed as he looked around the darkness of the house. His only light source the now yellow LED. 

“No! I’m not hurt lieutenant, I’m terrified! I’m going to turn deviant and CyberLife will disable me! I don’t want to leave you,” Connor pleaded urgently and hugged the lieutenant. He was shaking. Denying whether or not he could feel was useless at this point with the obvious pain in his chest from his overworked thirium pump. 

Anderson sniffled, holding his light source into him. He’d gotten what he wanted. Connor confessed to beginning to deviate and it was the most beautiful and horrible feeling for both of them. 

“It’s gonna be okay Con,” he breathed into the android’s shoulder, his hair leaving small wet spots on the CyberLife coat, salty tears leaving wet spots on the android’s neck. He did not believe himself, nor did he expect Connor to believe him, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say as they weeped in each other’s arms. 

They stayed this way for a while, listening to the rain in each other’s arms until Hank’s headache finally got the best of him, and he let go of the android. Connor seemed significantly calmer however, features soft and eyes full of hope as his LED stayed blue. Anderson felt at ease just looking at him, but the sounds of thunder caused him to cringe in pain. 

“Something wrong, lieutenant?” Connor glanced at him with concern. He could help wondering what the other thought of him when he did hate androids after all. Hank shook his head slowly, looking behind Connor for Sumo. He couldn’t make out the dog’s shape in the darkness. 

“It’s nothing Con, just a headache. I... ugh. I’m not a fan of ‘em,” he groaned, clutching his forehead. Connor’s thirium pump jumped and he instinctively supported the man. A software instability appeared.

“You should lie down, lieutenant. Your stress levels have been abnormal all day,” Connor spoke softly, a hand on Hank’s back to guide and pull him along in the darkness towards his bedroom. Anderson snorted in response, but went along with the android. Connor slowly pushed the bedroom door open and held it as Hank reached the bed. The blue light made his room seem soft and the rain was almost therapeutic now, if it weren’t for the thunder. 

“Get some sleep, lieutenant. I will awake you in time for work tomorrow,” Connor sighed and slowly closed the door once the older man had lied down. Surly he, could recover with some sleep, and then they could discuss what had happened in the morning. After Connor had run enough diagnostics of course, CyberLife would know if he malfunctioned.

“Nnh, wait.” Hank whispered as he watched the blue light disappear, then reappear. Connor tilted his head in question, awaiting a command. Hank had so much to say, about the case, about Connor’s feelings, about his own, but mostly about what had just happened between them. He couldn’t seem to think straight, only knowing he wouldn’t let the android go just yet.

“I need yo-“ he paused pensively, “your light. Storms stress me out.” He decided to stick with that, although partially true he couldn’t say where their relationship would go from this. Connor smiled and entered the room, sitting on the edge of Hank’s bed.

“Afraid of the dark? I would not have guessed it, lieutenant,” he teased blissfully. Hank rolled his eyes.

“Ha ha,” his glance shifted from the android to the ceiling, “I’m not... but Cole was. He hated storms, cried so much when the power went out.” Connor reached out for Anderson’s hand. The man gripped onto it tightly, still not looking his android in the eye.

“I just- I don’t... I can’t think about him like that... storms just bother me,” the confession released an invisible weight off of the detective. The pillows underneath his head and the feeling of Connor’s thumb rubbing the back of his hand gave him some security. 

“The past is in the past lieutenant, you cannot go back. Thinking so will only cause more problems.” Connor shushed the lieutenant’s stuttering, using his free hand to push some stray damp hairs away from his face. Hank closed his eyes. After a moment, he chuckled. 

“So you plan on sitting there while I sleep? ‘S fucking creepy Con,” he smiled, and without warning grabbed Connor’s arms and pulled him sideways, throwing the android off balance and falling onto Hank. 

“What’re you doing,” Connor inquired, trying to move off of the man as his sensors heat up again. 

“Sleeping.” The detective hugged Connor’s waist. The android replayed memories of their kiss in the kitchen and watched another software instability go off as he grinned. 

“I am quite heavy lieutenant, I would suggest against resting like this for it may obstruct your airways.” The android commented as the man sighed. 

“Then lie next to me. Just be quite so I can get some fucking sleep,” Hank turned on his side and let go of the other’s waist so he could get under the covers. Connor didn’t bother to remove suit and simply lay close to Hank, studying him. The man cracked open one eye and laughed.

“You drive me fucking crazy, you know that?” Hank pushed some synthetic hair away from Connor’s face, the need to touch the android overwhelming him when they were so close again. Conor blinked when Hank touched him, the software instabilities were getting annoying.

“You’re heart rate and body temperature increases when I am around you, lieutenant. However, my program also seems to react to your presence and I have received 24 software instability notification only this evening.” Connor stated with some anxiousness, the fear he was loosing control over himself creeping up again. Anderson groaned, feeling guilty for making Connor worried again.

“Con, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but you’re not broken okay? Those dumbasses at CyberLife don’t know shit about you, you’re not some toy they can just replace,” he moved in closer, touching foreheads with the android and holding his hand beneath the cover. 

“You’re,” everything, his mind wanted to say but his heart hurt more than his head, “you’re a person, deviant or not.” Connor smiled widely at that. He was filled with a warmth that seemed to radiate off of the lieutenant onto him. He closed his eyes and lifted his chin so his lips could touch Hank’s once more. The detective kissed him back but it wasn’t enough to replicate the feeling in the kitchen. Connor opened his mouth and pushed his tongue against the lieutenant, who let him in but moved much slower than before. Connor did not get tired however, and had Hank again panting in a matter of seconds, pulling away. 

“Calm down will you? I’m already tired as it is,” Hank protested with a whine, chuckling softly. 

“Sorry, lieutenant,” the android beamed and buried himself into Anderson’s chest, arm hugged tightly around the man. The detective made a small noise of approval, closing his eyes. He nested his face into the other’s hair as he tired to fall asleep.

“You smell like dog.” Hank whispered as the thunder echoed on, far less threatening this time. 

“Good night, lieutenant.” Connor replied as he registered Hank’s slowed heart rate before drifting off into a stasis himself.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written fan fiction in a long time (I write original stories on Wattpad now) so sorry if it wasn’t as savoury as you’d’ve liked. That being said, please comment any mistakes I made (grammar or otherwise) because I’d like to fix them as soon as possible.
> 
> I made account just to post this, so I might make a part two at some point. But I’m also thinking about writing a ghostbusters/buzzfeed unsolved AU for this paring. So let me know what you’d think of that. 
> 
> Update: because of school, I’ve been very busy and lost motivation on the unsolved crossover fic, so I won’t be doing that after all. I know it’s a great idea for this pairing, and I might do one-shots like this one for that AU, just not a multi chapter fic, thanks. (Updated sept. 23, 2018)


End file.
